Fate Rides on Bladed Wings
by Just Awesome Like That
Summary: After a chance meeting with a certain robotic teen, one girl finds herself exploring an entirely new world, in which revolutionary robots, sassy surface dwellers and giant ass evil-doers force her into realizing just what she is - NOT AN ASTROxOC!M 4 lang
1. The Boy With Glowing Eyes

A/N: Astro's age is never proclaimed in anyway. Y!Answers says he's fifteen, but does he look fifteen to _anybody? _And the guard hinted at thirteen, which looks closer, so I'm goin' with that one.

Chapter One: The Boy with Glowing Eyes

Lilith Rylie flopped down onto her bed, arms spread-eagle as she let out a whoop of joy (read: exhaustion), content to pass out for a goodnight's rest. Five minutes ago, she'd been about ready to toss her Advanced Genetics text into a jet engine and cackle madly as it shredded, but she'd refrained (in her opinion) spectacularly and finished the thrice damned chapter.

"Quantum physics?" she heard a voice ask amusedly.

"Pff, you think Q.P could actually get me to flop exhaustedly onto my bed? No; _Advanced Genetics_," Lilith hissed the accursed words as though they burned. Propping one vibrant green eye open, she saw a willowy figure leaning comfortably against the doorway to her room, backlit by the hallway light. "You know," she grinned slyly, sliding up onto her elbows. "That pose'd make quite the dramatic pictah."

Jessalyn Rylie, age fourteen and not half a minute older than her twin, frowned and gave a sigh, slinking forward to settle herself on paint splattered sheets. "Lills…"

Said girl shot up, flashing an ireful glare at her sister a glare and opening her mouth to rant. Jessalyn preemptively slapped her hand over her twin's mouth, "Stop right there, I've got your dang rant memorized already," The brown haired girl smiled weakly when green eyes glared at her through narrowed mocha-colored lids. "Sleep, Lills. You have school tomorrow."

Lilith let out a groan as her twin's hand moved away, said appendage giving her dark auburn locks a pat before bidding good night. Snatching a tattered gray plushy from behind her bed, she snuggled up to it, content to dread herself to sleep.

That is until she saw the boy with glowing eyes outsider her window.

AB x XM

Toby landed on the dip of a building, coming down hard as his newly dubbed "rocket boots"(the best he could come up with other than "foot jets" or "Dual propulsion devices") cut out abruptly. He settled down onto himself, literally replaying that night's events.

_"I can't bear…to see his face anymore." Father sighed, palming his face._

_ "Come on, Tenma! You can't just throw him away like a piece of junk!" Elefun exclaimed._

_ "…Dad?" Toby asked, flinching slightly when both doctors and Orrin turned to stare at him with guarded and sympathetic expressions. "W-what's going on? Why're you talking about me like this?"_

_ "Toby," Elefun said gently as Tenma turned away. "There's been a bit of a misunderstanding…"_

_ "How did I think this could work?"_

_ "…Programmed?"_

_ "But he isn't my son."_

_ "And I…don't want you…anymore."_

_ "No…_no!"(1)

Toby felt his eyes water with tears he didn't know he could still shed. He held his hands out in front of him, feeling his vision shift automatically. Immediately the appendages illuminated, showing through the "skin" tiny gears and joints. "It's true…" he whimpered.

"Hey, _glowstick, _mind shuttin' them blinker's off, _some _of us are _tryin' _ to sleep ya know!" a voice – notably feminine for that matter – snapped, jerking him into the present. He scrambled up, turning around to see a girl perched on the windowsill behind him – in her… panties?

Oh, right, x-ray vision. Duh.

The blue glow blinked out and left a terribly visible blush in its wake as he tried(and failed) not to stare at the mocha-skinned girl in loose navy shorts and a snug black long sleeve. Her slender body leaned against the window with her out-of-place, green eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, good nature getting the best of him as he turned to go.

"Hey…hey, stop right there, kid," the girl said, walking fearlessly(as she probably had done it plenty of times before) out onto the ledge. Toby turned back, eyes downcast in politeness.

"Kid…are ya cryin'?" she asked quietly.

Toby froze, wiping furiously at his face. "No!" he yelped.

"Yeah, right," she growled, tugging him closer to the building by his sleeve, a scarily maternal light in her eyes. Sitting them both down, she pulled her sleeve over her hand and wiped at his face. Satisfied that his face was now dry she leant back and met his gaze. "Now, what are ya cryin' for, kid?" she asked.

"Why do you care?" Toby muttered, dull brown orbs falling away.

"Why shouldn't 'Ah?" she retorted, accent catching his attention. Toby gave no response, instead he tucked his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

Lilith POV

Seeing the little boy take on the epitome of brooding made my mind scream. But I skillfully(in my opinion) held my composure.

For a whopping eight seconds of complete silence.

But, composure composure, instead of glomping him like my inner school girl demanded, I pulled my fist back and conked him _hard _ in the shoulder.

The boy reeled, sending me a confused stare as he rubbed his shoulder. "What was that for?"

Disregarding him in favor of cradling my throbbing fist, I let out a slight whimper and glowered through narrowed eyes. "What the hell're ya made of, brat? That freaking _hurt!_"

Said brat took on a smug little grin before answering, "Only the strongest metal known to Mt. Sophia!" he said proudly.

Now it was my turn to reel away. "Dude…you're a robot?"

Third Person POV

The question made Toby flinch, but it wasn't filled with disgust as he'd halfway expected, but awe. He gave a hesitant nod, cautiously meeting the girl's verdant gaze.

Visibly struggling to regain her composure, the girl held out a mocha tinted palm. "Lilith Rylie," she murmured politely.

"Toby Tenma," Toby responded, shaking the extended limb after a moment of hesitation. Lilith scooted closer to him, picking random conversation that eased Toby's nerves, eventually enough to admit/explain why he was up on the side of a building in the first place.

"So wait," Lilith said, lips twitching with a restrained smile. "You're thirteen? Ya look, like, _nine!_"

Toby's eyebrow twitched.

Elsewhere…(Pres. Stone's Command Center)

"Sir, we've located the signal's source but…it-it's a child!" the suited man reported incredulously. "Readings for the Core are off the charts!"

Stepping up behind the President's chair, the general's eyes widened. "S'that…Tenma's boy?" he asked dubiously.

"Of course not!" Stone snapped, then looked to the screen. His eyes widened comically as he blinked in shock. "Holy cow…Tenman must've lost his mind!" Stone exclaimed. His gaze shot to the side. "Bring 'im in!" he snapped.

Rooftop

Toby and Lilith squinted in the bright lighting, the unmistakable sound of multiple guns cocking making the boy flinch. "Oh no," he muttered. Without second thought he snatched up Lilith's wrist and took off.

Lilith let out an indignant squawk – not a scream, mind you; she still had an image to keep up – as Toby hefted her into his arms bridal style as though she was nothing more than a pillow.

"What do you guys want?" he asked.

"Yeah, 'cause they can totally here ya!" Lilith snapped, wrapping her arms around the robot-boy's neck.

Green, rubbery cords shot from the ships, making Toby yelp as he ran up the side of a building. The cords pulled off, bringing chunks of concrete with them as the squad pulled upward in pursuit.

Toby blasted over the roof of the building, stalling for a moment before jetting dangerously close to the road. Another shot was evaded, though both heard the peculiar squeal of "I'm getting MARRIED!" as one ship pulled off to the side.

"Do you trust me?" Toby asked.

"What?" Lilith asked, pulling away from his neck.

"I said, 'do you trust me'?" he repeated, meeting unsure green eyes.

"I…guess, why-?" without giving the girl time to finish her question, Toby tossed her high into the air, using the "air time" to bend back two of the ships' guns and render them useless. Watching them fly off, he flashed a grin and spun around looking for a certain green eyed hellion, only to get smacked with the windshield of a patrol ship for his efforts. Squinting into the cab, he saw red exclamation marks flash across the suited(why are they wearing suit while in the ships? he asked himself) man's visor as he reached down to press a red button hurriedly.

Toby's intimidating glare(though not really effective in the first place) was completely ruined by the window wiper smacking him on the cheek.

A tug on his back sent him flying, green cords catching each limb despite his struggles.

Of course at that moment he sighted his friend's form racing back toward the ground, so naturally he shot after it without further thought, pulling the ships with him.

At the last second the squad pulled back, motors whining from the effort.

Redoubling the force in his rockets, the robot boy struggled forward, blasting more fire in order to sweep the girl back into his arms and between two neighboring buildings, rendering them motionless.

The green cords snapped, sending the two spinning. Toby shook Lilith gently, receiving a murderous green eyed glare and giving an apologetic smile in repentance.

Cracking glass and panicked pleads drew the boy's attention back to the patrol ships, just in time to see the bottom ship's windshield shatter under the pilot. Without asking for her trust – he already guessed the answer – Toby swept the girl under one arm, diving to catch the pilot.

Gently gliding to the rooftop adjacent, he set them both down, murmuring "you're safe" to the shaking man.

Setting Lilith on her feet, Toby dared not meet her gaze, instead turning to the sound of more cocking guns. He sent the pilot an exasperated glance, muttering, "Again? What's with you guys?"

Ignoring the man's "I love you!" he jumped into the air, jetting to an even higher height. "Come on then!" he challenged, raising his fists. Unexpectedly, the ships turned and fled, along with the pilot. Toby blinked and coasted down to Lilith.

"I should smack ya," said girl growled as he landed, placing her hands on slim hips.

Toby's eyes widened dramatically, brown orbs focused behind the girl's willowy form.

"Dang it, Toby, don't ya ignore me!" the girl snapped. The robot boy's only response was to taper her shoulder gently, then point behind her, mouth cracked open in shock.

Lilith turned, still scowling, but the harsh expression fell at the sight of the massive dark bulk that floated on the opposite edge of the roof, humming low and ominously. The red head stumbled back, the whites of her eyes showing in alarm. "HOLY SHIP!"

Toby snatched her wrist, spinning them around and shielding the girl with his body. Not a moment too soon as the massive ship shot at the ground behind them, blasting the two onto a neighboring roof.

Weakly, Toby's boots tried to lift into the air, the only thing shielding Lilith's all too human body from the next attack being Toby's own. Said blast knocked them strait through a building and onto yet another concrete roof. Dazed, Toby stood, gripping around for his friend's hand, looking up to see yet _another_, larger attack heading strait for him. It was all he could do to remain standing, clutching his shoulder, even as Lilith's backlit form stepped in front of him, arms outspread.

Time seemed to slow as, out of Toby's sigh, Lilith's eyes glowed with power before a bright, glowing field sprund into excistance shattering but intersepting most of the destructive force of the blast as it hit. A second before the force wave knocked them back, Lilith spun, wrapping her arms around the robot boy as they were both thrown over the edge of Metro City's floating mass.

AB x XM

Mid-air, the last of Lilith's conscious mind registered the ground approaching fast, and threw up another, dimmer, field on impact before allowing the mocha-skinned girl to finally black out.

(1)- Taken virtually directly from the movie; you have absolutely no clue how much I annoyed my sister with the constant pausing, playing and rewinding.


	2. The Surface

Chapter Two: The Surface

Toby stumbled back from the disembodied head, tripping and landing next to a – mostly – whole body that gave him a slurred hello, yelping loudly in response. He scrambled up, ignoring the mobbing robots in favor of shaking his still unconscious friend. Sighing in relief at the sight of drowsy green eyes blinking open, he tugged the girl up, steadying her with his arm. The robots stared silently at Lilith before closing in on the two, chanting "One of us…_one of us!"_

An abrupt shout of "INCOMING!" made the robot boy reflexively curl his arms around his unusually quiet friend, holding her tight to his chest as chunks of metal fell from above them, sending the two tumbling down the side of the scrap heap.

Toby twisted mid-air, turning so that his back hit the case of the 'heap instead of his friend's. The girl gave an appreciative grin before scrambling up, brushing off her shorts and glancing around curiously. She stared upward for few minutes, a thoughtful expression in her verdant eyes, "The surface," she murmured in awe. Toby gave a barely perceptible nod, grimacing and clenching his shoulder. "Ya okay?" Lilith asked worriedly.

Toby shrugged, winced, then asked, "What do we do?"

"We can't go back," Lilith muttered, thumping down on a hunk of metal.

"I can't," Toby corrected, joining her.

The girl shook her head sadly. "Neither can Ah, not after that lil' show." At the boy's questioning, chocolate gaze, she hesitated before giving another shake of her head. "Ah can't tell you until Ah'm sure," she muttered.

Toby's response was broken off by movement just out of sight. He jumped up, pushing Lilith behind him and glaring at the hunk of sun bleached metal that dared to move. "Who's there?" he snapped.

A metal hatch popped open, revealing a beat up robot in the shape of a dog. Said robot gave a friendly bark at Toby's delighted laugh as it jumped out at of the hunk of metal, knocking the boy over to "lap" at his face("lap" due to the lack of an actual tongue.) Having moved away before the dog-like 'bot had leapt, Lilith smiled faintly as the boy announced the 'bot's name to be "Trashcan," cracking a smirk at the implication.

The red head knelt, giving the little 'bot a pat before mumbling, "So, are ya lost Trashcan?" her gaze fell, smile slipping. "I know we sure are…"

The 'bot jumped up, running(rolling?) in a quick circle before turning back to the pair and barking excitedly.

"What is it boy?" Toby asked as the dog replied with more barking. "Someone's in trouble?"

"So, wait," Lilith grinned. "Now you speak dog?"

"Well, it is a robot," Toby retorted thoughtfully with a smile.

The dog gave an affirmative-sounding bark, taking off into the heap. The boy raced after it, ignoring his friend's mutterings of "hero complexes" as she followed at a more sedate pace. Trashcan halted at the edge of a deep chasm, the boy nearly tumbling in before his friend caught his arm.

Toby frowned, glancing at his friend as she knelt and shouted "Hello?" into the hole.

"It could be miles down…" he murmured, straitening and turning to face their guide/ "The hole looks pretty – DEEP!" he yelped, falling backwards as Trashcan head butted him forward.

Lilith POV

I scrambled back, yelling out for my friend as the net closed around him. A giant…spatula?(…what.) flipped him onto the ground, where four suspiciously small figures quickly surrounded him.

"Put the restraints on him," a feminine voice muttered. Snapping out of my daze, I scrambled up, pale teal energy threading around my fingers as I tried to push them away.

"Hey! S-stop that!" I snapped, _pushing _the tallest away, shocked blue eyes flickering uncertainly under her hood. The other three slunk back silently, helping up their "leader." Hurriedly, I pulled the dark blanket off my friend. "Hey, ya okay?" I murmured, checking him over.

I glanced back, sending a glare at the girl as she muttered hesitantly, "That's not a robot…"

Going on instinct, I stood, planting my hands on my hips and giving my best glare. "No dip, Sherlock!" I growled, stooping to help up my friend.

The girl met my gaze evenly, sweeping back her hood and taking the two of us in through suspicious cerulean eyes. "So where're you from non-robots?" she asked.

Standing, Toby mumbled, "We're from Metro City."

"_Metro City_?" the girl gasped, in a poor attempt at what I like to call 'fan girl' voice. "Can you _believe _it, guys? They're from _Metro City _and they're actually _talking _to me!"

Ever the oblivious one, Toby asked with real concern, "Are you feeling alright?"

I rolled my eyes.

"_Ohmigosh, _he talked to me _twice!_" the girl squealed. "Oh this is _definitely _going in my _diary _as the most _exciting _day of my life," she finished sarcastically.

"Okay, I get it," Toby said, rolling his eyes. "You don't like people from Metro City."

I snorted, drawing the group's gaze. "Ah keep forgettin', _surface dwellers _ain't got no mannahs," I sneered, challenging a response silently.

Blue eyes glinted angrily as the girl took a step forward, evidently rising to my challenge. "At least we can talk right, _Princess_," she snapped before the dark haired boy started going off about mine and Toby's hometown almost dreamily.

Breaking my gaze, the girl scoffed at the last part of the boy's spiel. "Ha, they wouldn't let you in," she said, not-so-subtly glancing at me as she continued. "They have a strict 'no losers from the surface allowed' policy. Besides, why would you wanna go somewhere where people think you're _trash?_" she all but growled.

I pretended not to notice Toby's crestfallen look.

"I mean, look at this," she continued, picking up a junky looking phone and dusting it off. "Can you believe someone would just throw it away?"

"Maybe they just dropped it," I suggested.

"Over the side of an island thousands of feet in the air?" the ravenette asked skeptically. I shrugged, reluctantly conceding the point.

A quiet pinging sound caught my already frazzled attention, turning me away from the strange people's halfway interrogation of my friend. I chuckled though as "Sludge" boasted his ninety second longer life than his twin, Widget. Zane, Sludge, Widget and Cora? And I thought my name was odd.

Abruptly, I spun, seeing a red and blue blur catch Toby up just as he was about to introduce himself. A call of "VIVA THE ROBOT REVELUTION!" left me standing in their wake, hand stretched out and a bewildered expression adorning my face as I numbly said "….what just happened?"


	3. Hamegg and Genocide

Chapter Three: Hamegg and Genocide

Lilith's POV

I hung back, watching in amused silence as Toby was "rescued" (can't actually be rescued from anything that couldn't really do any damage in the first place) from the Robot Revolutionary Front. I cocked a brow as Toby stuttered his way through an introduction before announcing himself as "Astro, and my friend, Lilith."

We followed Cora's group across the amazingly rusty bridge, making small talk until, unfortunately, I struck a bit of a raw nerve with Cora.

"So there's actually _people _livin' in these ruins?" I asked, disgust mingling with awe and curiosity in my tone.

"Ruins?" Cora snapped, glaring. "Hey, it might not look like much to a _Metro City _kid –"

"No comment," I interjected.

"But this is home to us," the blue eyed girl finished as though I hadn't spoken. She turned back to Astro. "Here we are!"

"Huh–?" Astro blinked dumbly as the four surface dwellers leapt down a rusted, patched together slide, brown eyes catching green before shrugging and pulling me down with him.

Without bothering an explanation, Cora kicked the door twice, giving the young "doorman" a sinister-sweet smile when he asked for the "password."

"Don't make me hurt you!" she chirped, still smiling. The boy gulped audibly before mumbling "close enough" and letting them in.

'_Heh,'_ I thought. '_I could grow ta like this girl'._ We entered what could only be called a war zone (complete with golf ball projectiles and rubber pendulums of death), well to _most _Metro citizens.

I was in heaven.

After living in a perfectly immaculate house for fourteen years, you would be too.

A little red head labeled Grace ran up to Cora, giving her a perfect set of puppy-dog eyes. "Hey, Cora, didjya bring me back something?" she asked.

Smiling, Cora bent at the waist, saying, "The perfect gift for a sweet little girl!" and rummaging in her pack. Expecting the ravenette to pull out some sort of girly knick-knack, I rolled my eyes and casually ducked a rubber pendulum of death.

But _did _she pull out a girly knick-knack of some sort?

_Hell no._

Instead she hauled a giant, freaking _chainsaw _into the air, to which Grace let out a squeal and started up, running off God knows where to cause mayhem and chaos – well, more chaos.

Ah, yes. Childhood.

How I've missed thee.

Cora's group made their way up the staircase, stepping lightly to avoid bodily harm as the rampant madness continued to cause destruction. Astro and I followed, wide eyed as we entered the picture perfect representation of a mad scientist's lab, complete with a towering man in a welding outfit patch working the body of a robot together.

"Hey, Hamegg!" Cora called as the other three dumped their satchels onto a steel work table. The man turned, looking downright sinister behind the mask as his blow torch kept running. Astro flinched, practically hiding behind a yellow, junky-looking robot.

"Ah hah! Back so soon?" Hamegg said, pulling off his mask and coat. The platform he'd been standing on lowered, revealing him to be barely as tall as Cora and shorter than me.

"You guys find anything good for me today?" the stout man asked, tossing the welding mask away. He started towards the table, a friendly look melting into an unsure expression. "Ahh…I don't know, kids, there's a lot of dead batteries, lotta elbows here! Hm…the knee joint of a _toilet cleaning robot?_" How on earth can he _tell? _"I told you, I need heads…"

"We _woulda _gotten better stuff but –"

And it's raining robot guts. Again.

Palming my face, I let out a sigh as Zane introduced Astro and me with an amused smile.

"They're from _Metro City_," Zane explained.

As Hamegg went into his spiel, drawing a chuckle from me at fat people and donuts, the small, bid-like robot he'd restarted fluttered around our heads, landing briefly on my shoulder before drifting back towards Hamegg.

"So you're not into – ah – _enslaving _robots?" Astro asked timidly.

"What?" Hamegg asked indignantly.

"He ran into the RRF," Cora explained.

"I don't enslave robots!" the stout man laughed. My attention drifted yet again for a few minutes before snapping back as he asked if we were hungry.

AB x XM

Third Person

Astro smiled as the group settled down for dinner, full out grinning when Cora gave his green eyed friend a glare for picking distastefully at her pizza.

"So, tell me Astro, do your folks know where you are?" Hamegg asked.

Astro flushed, stuttering his way through a response. "the truth is I'm a… a…" he trailed off quietly.

"Don't worry son, we're all orphans down here; it's nothing to be ashamed of," Hamegg said gently.

Lilith frowned. "So _none _of you have parents?" she asked warily. As amusing as the group's response was, Astro could see pity and…empathy? – behind green eyes.

Later on, after "lights out", Lilith laid wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling as the other children slept on around her, silently lost in thought.

_There's no way that ship's cameras didn't pick up my little light show,_ she thought, cringing at the memory. She hadn't even bothered checking, she knew what she was now.

A mutant.

The thought still baffled her though, even if she'd concluded that she was, in fact, in possession of what had been dubbed the X-gene hundreds of years ago.

And that, frankly, scared her shitless.

Frowning, she dug into the pocket of her shorts, for once glad of her chronic forgetfulness to empty her pockets before bed. Even though she'd never been one for genetics – advanced or otherwise – she'd successfully used it as an excuse to download books on mutation onto the handheld.

After skimming her library for a few minutes, a blooming smile took the red head's lips before faltering at what she read.

**Long before the founders of our glorious Metro City came together, a discovery was made that would change the path of the human race forever.**

** In a time when the Earth was green and lush, the genes of the human race changed in an evolutionary leap that would lead to physical and mental mutations, allowing abilities such as telepathy, telekinesis and near instant regeneration. These mutations became numerous and obvious quickly, causing tension among governments. Humans questioned their own security and that of their families. These questions led to prejudice among human and mutant alike, and, while some mutants made continuous attempts at peace between races, a group of mutants calling themselves the Brotherhood rose up, calling to all mutant-kind to rally and overthrow humans from the top of the food chain and society alike. Seeing no other way to retain the safety of their respective publics, international governments banded together and wiped out the mutants, deeming their traits dangerous and volatile. The leader of the Brotherhood, Erik Lensher, known by his "true name" as Magneto, was shot and killed during the first wave of what would come to be called The Purge. The rest of mutant-kind was wiped out for the betterment of mankind…**

Lilith stopped reading, green eyes wide and visibly shook by the knowledge. This couldn't be happening.

Hands shaking furiously, she chose a different book and kept reading.

**After intensive studies of the **_**X-Gene**_**, tests showed that most powers and physical attributes could be degenerated into large groups, but others, such as the powers of Erik Lensher, were so powerful that they were set aside as Alpha and Omega level powers, occurring very rarely in a generation.**

**One of these groups was dubbed Ferals, due to their animalistic nature and physical characteristics (claws, fangs, tails, ect…). These Ferals had an innate and uncontrollably tendency to go into destructive fits of rage, destroying everything and everyone around them. A common trait among Ferals was instant or near-instant regeneration. Some Ferals even had claws of some sort; one noted Feral going by the name of Beast had one of the more extraordinary mutations: his feet had transformed into that of a lesser primate's, prehensile and able to grip things as though one would with their hand. When questioned, he reluctantly admitted that he'd gained his thick coat of blue fur after a lab accident, but made no further comment on the subject.**

**Further study into the topic of mutations revealed that an innumerable amount of possibilities could've risen, making The Purge an intelligent and reasonable choice…**

_Intelligent…and reasonable, _Lilith thought, shutting the handheld off and snuggling under the covers of the bunk bed, freezing in the suddenly imposing and cold warehouse. _What a nice way to say genocide._


	4. Naive

Chapter Four: Naïve

The next night, Astro found his green eyed friend sitting on the tin roof of Hamegg's building, a small ring of stones sitting in front of her. Almost warily he sat down beside her, aware of the dark cloud surrounding her and his mind still on the previous conversation with Cora.

"You're too trusting," Lilith said, not taking her eyes off of the stones.

"What do you mean?" Astro asked, tilting his head to look dreamily into the stars.

"You're good, Toby," Astro blinked, thinking about how she was the only one to call him that any more. "But almost too good. You're honest, and brave and kind, yes; but you're terribly naïve."

Indignant, Astro tried to glare into her strangely hard, green eyes, "S'that so?" he snapped. "Gimme one example!"

Said eyes finally left the stones, seeming to search for something in his gaze. "Hamegg. How do you know he's not going to turn on you? You're a robot after all."

"Thanks for reminding me!" the boy snapped. "Besides, he's good too!"

"He's _human_, Toby!" Lilith snapped back. "Humans always have alternative motives, no matter how much the guy sounds like Friday's Breakfast Menu!"

After a moment of silence, Astro tilted his head to the side, holding the girl's verdant stare. "You say that like you're not human either."

Shock rounded the green orbs, before uncertainty pulled them from his own. "I'm not entirely certain anymore…" she murmured softly, hands subconsciously brushing one of the stones.

Astro took in his friend's admittedly slightly haggard appearance, noting specifically how she'd curled herself around the barrowed painting smock she'd been wearing to decorate ZOG's back with a demonic, yet colorful, face. Gently, he set his hand on her shoulder. "What do you mean?" he almost whispered.

In answer, a hand reached out, a green-blue vapor curling around artistic fingers almost comfortingly, like a hug or sympathetic squeeze. The vapor wrapped around three of the five stones and _lifted _them gently into the air where they started to dance and bob around each other, faster and faster until they shot away, strait through a thin piece of metal that'd been leant up against the side of a car.

"Tell me, Toby," Lilith said quietly, the teal substance dissipating. "Have you ever heard of mutants?"

Still bemused by the display, Astro nodded slowly. "They were wiped out long before Metro City though, weren't they?"

Lilith laughed humorlessly, "Oh, yes, for the 'betterment of man,' they were killed off in cold blood because of _human _prejudices."

Confused, Astro shook his head. "They started the wars first, didn't they?"

"Erik Lensher and the Brotherhood fought against prejudices, eventually seeing themselves as more evolved and started calling themselves Homo Superiors. But they never succeeded in killing off the human masses. Instead, the world's governments came together to enact the Purge."

"So the governments just wanted to protect their publics," Toby surmised, thinking the point conceded to him.

"They were that naïve as well, Toby," the girl murmured. "They thought that by killing off those that'd already come into their changes that they could end it there and then. But this is evolution, Toby. It doesn't stop until the species that is best and meant to live does so, even if it has to restart a few times," Lilith finished quietly, standing and making her way to the side of the roof she'd climbed up on. "Do yourself a favor, Toby," she murmured, not looking back. "Two actually. Watch your back."

"And the second?" the boy asked almost hesitantly.

"Don't be so naïve."

AB x XM

Astro POV

"I thought it was a show, not a slaughter!" I said, panicking slightly.

"They're just robots, son," Hamegg muttered.

"I thought you liked robots!" I insisted, pretending my voice didn't squeak when I spoke.

"I do," Hamegg reassured. "But at the end of the day, they're just junk waiting to happen." Seeing the doubt in my face, Hamegg smiled. "I know, some of those more _advanced_ ones from _Metro City_ are programmed to _smile _and _laugh_, just like us."

I glanced back, seeing surprise in Cora's face, though Lilith's stayed carefully neutral. Though she had not expected this, her visage showed no sign of surprise.

"_Really?"_ Cora murmured.

"Oh yeah," Hamegg nodded, looking straight at me. "Unfortunately, they don't have any real emotions," Hamegg turned and reached into his coat, the movement setting me on edge. "Which is why I have no problem doing _this!"_

I let out a gasp of pain and surprise as the bolts of his weapon surged through my circuits, locking my joints together and making me collapse, twitching, on the stone floor.

"_Bastard!_" I head Lilith shout, racing to my side. She ignored Hamegg's conversation with the rest of the children in favor of gently brushing her hands over my face.

_Don't be so naïve, _echoed through my mind as it shut down from overload.

The last sight I was able to see was Cora standing over me and the surprisingly gratifying _crunch_ sound of Lilith's fist crashing into Hamegg's nose before Zane pulled her away.

Third person POV

Lilith sat, scowling, in the stands, petulantly sitting as far away from the others as she could and glaring at Hamegg as he flew around the packed stadium. It was terribly tempting to knock him off his hover craft, but she had a horrible feeling that had nothing to do with Hamegg. She forcefully ignored him, breathing out just a bit of her power with each breath, so little that really only Astro would be able to see it exit her lungs with each exhale.

As Astro rose and stepped off the platform, Lilith could see confusion and distraught and pleading in his eyes as he looked to Cora. He glanced to his green eyed friend briefly, relieved to see her safe, but confused even more to see a green fog wisp from her mouth as he met her gaze. A flash of understanding went through brown eyes as he saw wisps of greenish-teal fog circling the stadium, his mind flashing to a whispered conversation the two had had on their way over.

_"I've noticed," Lilith said casually, "that the energy from your core affects my powers, makes them stronger somehow; which would explain why, around you, the mist is teal instead of green…"_

Fighting and fighting, with one thought in mind, _escape,_ was all that existed for the moment, before his friend, his ZOG, rose from the ground and made the robot boy freeze. _No, _he thought, _I won't fight him._

Lilith's POV

I tensed as ZOG stomped closer, readying myself to tighten my power and hopefully protect my friend, but something at the back of my mind whispered, **not yet.**

As ZOG lifted him into the air in a symbolic tie, I relaxed slightly, but not entirely. The moment the first shot was issued by Hamegg, I felt my breath leave in a _whoosh_, an entirely too visible cloud of fog leaving with it.

**Not yet, child.**

_Please,_ I begged it, eyes burning as Hamegg shocked him over and over again. _Please._

When Astro stopped ZOG from crushing the man, I cursed him softly, knowing he was too entirely good to let that happen, but sure that Hamegg deserved some punishment.

**Look up, child.**

I felt my heart nearly stop before beating erratically at the sight of one of Stone's airships land smack dab in the center of the arena. At least twenty men filed out, pointing guns into the crowd as warning and surrounding Astro within seconds.

President Stone himself stepped out then, shouting, "Seize the rogue robot and secure the area!"

This time I disregarded the voice entirely, wrapping my power like a net around the soldiers and hauling them high into the air. Ignoring shocked gasps and shameless stares, I stepped from the stands, making small, glowing platforms down into the arena.

Third Person POV

Astro watched, near horrified as the soldiers were pulled into the air by the familiar teal mist. He saw his friend step onto thin air, watching in awe as her eyes glowed and the loose hair floated ominously around her head at the sheer output of energy.

"Lilith, please, _stop!_" he pleaded. He glanced to Cora, begging for acceptance, forgiveness, _anything_, but an emotionless mask had covered her features. He felt his Core ache, but sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said in defeat.

Glowing green eyes met his, searching for something, before dimming to their normal shade in defeat. The soldiers fell, landing relatively safely before scrambling up. One gave Astro a shove towards the ship, making him stumble slightly. He saw his friend's eyes flare up again, sending the man flying before restraints were cuffed onto the girl's wrists. As the two were led into the ship, Astro looked back pleadingly.

"I'm sorry," he called to his friends. "I tried to tell you!"

As the ship rose into the air, Stone strutted over, teasing the boy and getting knocked on his ass by a green whip of energy for his trouble.

After ten minutes of near silence, Astro looked to his friend warily. Her eyes looked wild, darting around the room, practically snarling at anything that moved.

When they landed, the two were kept to the front to prevent backhanded attacks, though neither were about to; Astro seeing no reason and Lilith for the sake of her friend.

The girl kept perfectly still as the tall man laid her friend back on the table, a mask covering her anger and sadness at the boy's surrender.

Green eyes flashed as the man handed the core to the president, fighting the urge to snap the thin man's neck when he spoke of _little toys._

_Sneaky, sneaky,_ she thought as Tenma "passed" the Core to the shorter man. The red ring that had surrounded her pupil faded as she used her power to dissolve the cuffs and subtly follow Tenma to the table.

Stone looked positively enraged as both prizes were literally whisked from his grip behind a glass wall, ripping the gun from a guard's hands to point it at the stout doctor.

At the table, Lilith confidently grinned as her friend's eyes snapped open, disregarding the father-son reunion in favor of knocking each and every soldier on their ass as her cuffs finally dissolved completely.

"Lills," Astro said confidently, holding out a hand. The girl grasped it, throwing herself on his back as he made his exit.

In the lab, Stone breathed deeply through his nose, before turning away. "Arrest them immediately, I want them shot for treason. We're gonna have to use the Peace Keeper to get the core and mutant back," he said with conviction.

"Mutant?" Tenma said incredulously.

"The first in 150 years," Stone confirmed, reaching out to grasp the red core.

"Don't use the red core!" Elefun warned. "The negative energy – we can't know how it will behave!"

"Doctor," Stone growled. "In any conflict between positive and negative energy, the negative _always _prevails! Look at human history; look at _me!_"

"My point exactly," Elefun responded dryly, silently wondering how the man learned his physics from a children's cartoon.

AB x XM

After a quick stop at Lilith's house ("You still sleep with a plush toy?" "Bite me, sparky."), the two friends flew comfortably in silence, accidently knocking a pair of robots away in their haste.

"Sorry guys," Astro said, fighting a smile.

"Ah, no," the squeeze-y bottle whined. "It's the crazy flying kid again!"

"Yeah, and this time he's got a girl with him!" the squeegee said suggestively.

Glad for once his friend couldn't understand robot, Astro rolled his eyes. (In the movie, at first the squeegee and squeeze-y bottle just whirred and buzzed, 'member?) "I'm a robot, like you!" he explained. Before he could ask what the two were doing all the way out here, Lilith tapped his shoulder and pointed back the way they'd come, unable to speak above the wind that pushed at their backs. Without another word the two took off towards Metro City, leaving a certain "Mr. Squirty" to concede his friend's point.

The duo landed on a dilapidated street, blinking as a man ran by them without so much as a glance. They turned to see the "Spirit of Freedom" round the corner to hover in front of them. "Oh, no," Toby muttered, bracing himself to run.

As the Peace Keeper rose up, Lilith pusher her friend away, using her power to wrap around the elevated street and launch herself over the side. Trusting his friend to keep herself safe, Astro began his battle with the Peace Keeper.

AB x XM

Below the now crumbling highway, Lilith was starting to doubt her plan. Her green cord held tight, but chunks of cement rained down on her, forcing her to split her power to make a shield.

"Need some help, Princess?"

Green eyes snapped open to see Cora smirking at her from a blue hover car. Lilith scowled. "Not from ya, Hermit!" the mocha-skinned girl snapped.

Blue eyes gave a roll before Zane helped pull the girl into the car.

"This doesn't mean we're friends," the mutant frowned.

"I know," Cora said dismissively, looking out the window casually. "Allies?" she asked, glancing back.

Lilith shrugged. "Something like."

AB x XM

"Cora, I have to take care of this."

"Astro, no!" Cora said pleadingly,

"Oi, rust bucket," Lilith snapped. "I'm going with ya." Without waiting for a response, the mutant grabbed the robot boy's arm and pushed them both through the open side door.

Trying a first, the girl let go, wrapping her power around herself and willing her body aloft. She joined her friend under the bulk of the city, pushing with her power to lift the massive structure. A red ring appeared around her pupil, growing until it engulfed her iris, then leaking into her power. Finally, the floating island touched ground and the girl enveloped them both in a cocoon of energy. Slowly, the cocoon spun, spear pointing and drilling faster and faster until it broke through the street, where Astro carefully laid his half-conscious friend down before taking off again.

Lilith opened her eyes slowly, taking a minute to comprehend, then panic at, the sight of the Peace Keeper pulling her friend in, wrapping her power around herself again in order to race up and catch the boy as he shot from the monster's chest, sending them both careening towards a – well –half of a building. The mutant helped her friend up, eyes going wide as Tenma appeared.

"Toby!" the man said in relief.

"Dad!" Astro said, collapsing in his father's arms.

"I don't get it," Lilith muttered. "Why didn't it absorb him?"

"Because it can't," Tenma explained, looking at her warily. He looked back to Astro. "If the red and the blue Cores come together –" he hesitated, unwilling to admit, "well, you both die."

The two friends shared a glance before Tenma continued. "Come on son," he said, throwing a glance at Lilith, "we need to get you two far away."

AB x XM

"This is it," Astro breathed, meeting his friend's, then father's gaze. "This is what I was created for. This…is my destiny."

Shaking his head, Tenma insisted, "Toby, _now!_"

"Sorry, but this is who I am. Onward and upward, Dad," he said, turning to go.

"Oi, brat!" Lilith snapped, smacking his shoulder. Astro didn't turn, his resolve already hardened. The girl let out a sigh, laying a hand on top of the robot boy's head. "Don't get yourself killed, 'kay?"

"…Okay," Astro said, grinning.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

AB x XM

(Skippy I know, but this is how it played out in my mind)

The explosion was beautiful in its own way, but the mutant felt tears running down her face and turned, burying her face into Tenma's shoulder. She desperately wanted her friend to live, but her own words rang out like a death bell through her mind.

_Don't be so naïve._


	5. Promise?

I stood back in shock as Cora rushed to Astro's side, unable to speak, think, _move_, as I took in the burns on my friend, my _only _friend, the fact that his right shoulder was barely attached sending a terrified shiver down my spine.

"Can you fix him?" I heard Cora ask.

"No, I'm afraid not," came Elefun's voice. "His blue Core was unique, and now it's died with him."

_It's died._

_**He's died.**_

___Just like___**she **_did__**.**_

__"**No!**" I shouted, green mist shoving the both of them away. The mist surged up around me, green and red intertwining and wrapping around the Core itself.

Nothing was happening.

I began to panic, tears pouring down my face. **He's dead,** my mind insisted.

_No, no no no no no, _I told it, repeating it aloud like a mantra, forcing more energy into that damned Core that made him so _good._

"You bastard," I whimpered, the green and red glow shimmering between us. "You said you wouldn't die, you _told_ me you wouldn't get yourself killed!"

Like a switch had been tripped, a tidal wave of power surged through me as the energy ran completely red, flickering like flames as it knocked the others away, snapped the hair ties from my short pigtails and pulled a hoarse scream from my throat.

"_**You promised!**_" I sobbed when _nothing happened._

Slowly, the red flames died away, leaving a faint glow on my skin and, as I would learn later, a miniscule scarlet gem on my forehead. "You…promised," I muttered, voice hoarse. A column of dry dirt and charred grass floated around us, cutting us off from the rest of the world. "You promised."

Third Person POV

Dulled green eyes never left the ground as Elefun slowly helped the mutant girl up, blinking owlishly when he saw the _giant yellow robot _standing off to the side.

Cora stood, warily gazing at the mocha-skinned girl as she spoke, "Astro brought ZOG back to life."

"How?" Elefun asked.

ZOG pointed a giant hand to his chest, smack dab in the center of the "O". "The blue stuff," he murmured – well, as much as a five ton, hundred year old construction robot can murmur.

"Do you have any of that 'blue stuff' left?" Elefun asked hopefully. At ZOG's nod, the stout man asked, "Do you think you could spare some for our friend here?"

ZOG walked forward carefully, reaching down and pouring blue power into the boy's chest, slowly refilling the Core. Metro citizens and surface dwellers alike stood in awe as the blue energy wrapped around the robot boy's body, lifting him into the air. The power rippled along the outside of the Core, before sinking in, making an almost beautiful show of recharging the boy's life source.

Gradually, brown eyes blinked open as Tenma, Cora and Elefun leaned forward expectantly. People cheered happily behind them as Astro hugged his father in relief. Looking over the gray-clad man's shoulder, he saw his friend standing beside ZOG, who he suspected was the one to bring him back. Astro pulled back slightly giving his father a grin before letting go completely and walking silently over to his green eyed friend.

She looked down right miserable, black long sleeves charred at the edges, blue jean cut off jacket and paint stained overalls tucked into black ankle boots all splattered with dirt. Her hair seemed longer, eyes wider, both accented by the red jewel resting between her brows. The robot boy stopped in front of her, awkward and unsure of what to say. Fresh tear tracks glinted on her cheeks as she spoke, almost too quietly for him to hear.

"You promised," the girl murmured.

"I'm alive aren't I?" he answered. Lilith's cheeks flushed and she turned, obviously intent on stalking away.

Not a second too soon, Astro reached out, tugging her back by her sleeve. His mind flashed to the first time they'd met, out on that ledge. Corny and cliché, he knew but he rolled with it. He pulled up the base of his shirt, wiping the tears away. Satisfied, he leaned back and met her gaze. "Now," he murmured. "What are ya cryin' for, kid?"

Picking up on the act, she looked away. "Why do you care?"

"Well why shouldn't Ah?" he retorted in a bad imitation of her accent.

Unexpectedly, Lilith pulled back her fist, and conked him hard in the shoulder. Bewildered, Astro asked silently, "What the hell?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," she scoffed, smiling weakly. "Like Ah'm gonna let the kid who just kicked Goliath's ass punch me for the sake of reminiscing."

Astro smiled in return, pulling his friend in for a hug. Pulling away, he searched vibrant green eyes hopefully. "Will you stay?" he asked quietly.

The smile faltered. "Astro, you know that's impossible. Ever since The Purge, the world will stop at nothing to kill mutants and/or make their lives a living hell."

"They'll make an exception for the girl who helped save Metro City, I know it!"

Lilith pulled away from his grip, shaking her head sadly. "No, Astro, I can't. Think about it; if I'm here, others might be too, and you need to stay and protect the city, Wonder Boy," she cracked a smirk, stopping his protests with a finger to his lips. "See ya 'round?" she asked.

The boy sighed in defeat, grinning fondly and giving the extended palm a firm shake. "See you around."

The girl turned to go, green flames flickering around her outline, but stopped when Astro spoke again.

"Oh and, Lilith," he said casually. "Do _try _not toget yourself killed, 'kay?"

Grinning, she responded. "Hmm…toughy; you know how I get, but….okay."

"Promise?"

"…Promise."

And, in a burst of green fire, the girl disappeared from sight and memory.


End file.
